Form listening to our guide I think I understand some of what happens with the people in Thailand.

Senior Citizens:
There is no pension program in Thailand. The family is supposed to care for their parents.

It sounds like the family is expected to care for their elderly but as happens in the US the theory does not always match up with practice. Jack’s wife comes from a Chinese family and she has brothers, she is the only girl. So when the brothers wanted to start a gem business the parents gave them money to start it. Recently the father was ill and needed surgery. They asked the sons for help but everyone was “too busy” to help. So Jack the son in law offered to see if he could help get him care in the city. In the town they live in the queue for the surgery was at least 6 months out so Jack went, picked him up and was able to get him an appointment for the surgery 6 weeks away I think he said. Jack drove 1.5 hours each way, 6 times to complete the process. Up until then they seldom were invited to the parents and the parents would not come to their place but now they see them often.

Families:
Many families live with 3 generations together but this is less frequent than in previous generations. When this is the case the grandparents take care of the grandkids, cook the meal etc. Jack explained that the many who are not like that will go to local places to eat the food or take it home. He says it saves time cooking and cleaning up and the food is not that expensive in the little local places.

Many families want to earn more money and the husband will go to Israel. His brother did this for 2 years, came back started building a nice house. Was asked to return on a one-year contract but needed money to buy the plane ticket. He borrowed from Jack with no interest. His wife paid it back in a few months. He said only the rich would use a bank for a loan so seldom is a loan gotten from a bank.

I believe Jack’s family had 7 children, they lived in the farming area and did not have very much but my feeling is that they all have a good life now. The parents have both died. Jack was the first family member to attend college.

Health insurance :

They have free health care but you can purchase additional care if you wish. The health care program is paid for by reducing the military budget.

Schools:
Preschool is from age 2 or 3 through age 6 or 7. Age 7 is the normal age to start Primary school although some children can start at age 6. Primary school goes 1st through 6th grade. Then they have Junior High which is 7th – 9th and High School is 10-12. I think we met someone who went to a technical school for the High School. They have both public and private schools. Public is paid by taxes.

78% of students finish High School
50% finish College
To be a hotel receptionist requires Bachelors degree
Teachers are not paid very well– 4 years of college and 1 yr practicum. They get $US550/month.

Taxes
He says the company pays the taxes. In his case OAT will pay 3% of his salary to the government. At the end of the year he can get a refund for any expenses for schools or medical care. It is only up to a certain amount. This year he was so busy the time to request the refund slipped by him. He went to ask how to do it and was told he would need to pay a fine for not doing it on time. He realized he
would be paying close to the refund so decided it was not worth it.

Religion
Buddisn is the main religion of Thailand. There are 3% Christians, 3% Muslin and 1% for all the rest.

Toilet up-date
Here in the hotel there is a tube at the back of the toilet seat that will squirt water on your bottom. It works very effectively. Other toilets just have the spray faucet like in Myanmar. Today I realized something about my toilet experiences in these countries. I returned to the women’s room at the restaurant we had eaten at 1hour before and there was no toilet paper. I think OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) must ask the restaurants to have toilet paper for us so if you travel on you own you may have less toilet paper. OAT does take good care of us and we do get many comforts of home when it is possible to provide.

When I think of “The King and I” the tune “Shall We Dance” comes to my mind. Why, I couldn’t tell you. Probably everyone has a favorite tune from that schmaltzy musical and film. I’m too lazy to type it out so here’s a lift from Wikipedia:

It is based on Margaret Landon’s novel, Anna and the King of Siam (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. The musical’s plot relates the experiences of Anna, a British schoolteacher hired as part of the King’s drive to modernize his country. The relationship between the King and Anna is marked by conflict through much of the piece, as well as by a love to which neither can admit.

The Wikipedia article goes on to say that some of the details in Anna Leonowens’s memoir are questionable. Nonetheless, our guide Jack tells us that Anna actually had a pronounced effect on Siam (later to be called Thailand). To appreciate it we have to go back to the Rama lineage.

Rama III was a wheeler-dealer trader with the Chinese. He apparently amassed a significant fortune through trading. His son, Rama IV took over upon his father’s death and realized that Siam ran the risk of being overtaken by the colonial powers that had taken control over most of Southeast Asia. The French had Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The British had India, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Singapore; Spain had the Philippians and so on (I’m doing this from memory so I’ve missed some colonialized countries I’m sure. Google it if you must).

Rama IV’s strategy was to bring Anna to Siam to teach his kids English, not only the language but also the culture. And she succeeded. According to Jack, Rama V, one of the sons, was literally brainwashed by Anna. When he became King he sent all of his kids abroad to be educated: Britain, France, Germany and the U.S. He dictated that the architecture of buildings reflect the style of Victorian England. Today we saw the Grand Palace, which he ordered to be built in that way. Cooler heads prevailed and Rama V agreed to put a Siamese roof on the building, which he did, to extraordinary effect.

Rama V must have missed a class in Westernization 101. At that time wealthy families considered it a great honor to send their most beautiful daughters to be the King’s consort. Rama V had 92 consorts who bore him 77 children. His policy was to build a new palace for each male child and give land to the family of the consort who bore him a female child. That’s 34 new palaces if I recall properly.
But he did do much to modernize Siam. He introduced governmental cabinet posts along the British and European models to handle kingdom affairs, he abolished slavery and prostitution, he introduced automobile transportation and electric service (starting with the palace, naturally). He, I gather, is most responsible for threading the needle with Britain and the other colonizers, to maintain Siam’s independence, following on in his father’s footsteps.

Rama V was King of Siam for 42 years and is much beloved today.
Incidentally, Rama IX, the recently deceased king, came to power under curious circumstances. Jack told us, as I recall, that Rama VII basically said, “Take this job and shove it. I’m not your king anymore.” That created a scramble for a Rama VIII. A nine-year-old family member, who was attending boarding school in Switzerland, was brought back to Siam and was crowned Rama VIII. He immediately returned to school in Switzerland until he turned 20. He came home to rule but was home for only a short period of time when he was assassinated: found dead with a bullet hole in his head. Jack says only Rama VIII’s mother and his younger brother were with him when he died. Three guards were later tried and executed for the murder but, as you can guess, conspiracy theories abound. A few day’s after Rama VIII’s death the younger brother become Rama IX. Hey, we report; you decide.

This morning’s touring to see the Royal Temple and the Royal Palace was interesting but frustrating because of the hordes of people and their selfie sticks making it hard to get a feel for the places. But grand structures they are, with lots of gold and jewels making for a colorful sight.

After, we boarded a boat (a long and narrow craft like the ones we’ve used before) to go to lunch. It turns out that Thailand has a whole network of canals. Our boat driver tried one canal but the traffic was too heavy so he tried another. There are no locks, per se, on these canals but there are water doors to control the flow of water from the main river into the canal neighborhoods. They wait for the water to subside on the canal side before opening the gate.

Lunch was fun; Pad Thai including a lesson in its preparation. It’s quite complex, with some 16 ingredients and a wok that needs constant stirring. But our hostess took some of the aura of mystery and discover off the presentation by saying, “You can make Pad Thai at home. Just by one of those kit boxes they sell in the stores.”

Back to the hotel for a siesta. The rest of the afternoon is free and dinner is on our own. But our faithful guide Jack has offered to take us on a Tuk Tuk ride to a slum neighborhood where we can learn about kickboxing. And he’s offered to take us to a Thai restaurant where, of course, we have to pick up the tab.

We went out this afternoon to see kickboxing but what we really saw was a slum community of about 800 people. They live in shacks underneath a multi-lane expressway. Most of the kids don’t attend school and many adults are unemployed; listing the community as one’s address frequently leads to rejection by potential employers. Dehydration caused by diarrhea due to bad water is a significant health issue. Crime, especially drug-related crime, is a big problem. It’s a classic case of circular poverty in which the next generation follows the path of their elders.

Healthcare is one bright spot for the community. The government has set up a health clinic nearby. Thailand has universal health care; individuals make a small contribution and the government funds the rest. A civilian government put this policy in place. It came up with the funding for universal health care by cutting military spending, a move that must not have pleased the military. Now, with a military government in place the concern is that the policy will be reversed. But it’s hard to take away free health care anywhere, not just in Thailand. I’ll never let them take away my Medicare, that’s for sure!

Kickboxing is one ray of hope. Kids as young as 11 are recommended by their home coaches to come to this community to obtain advanced training. Their parents hope that they can achieve fame and fortune, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty.

The kids we watched were from the northeast of Thailand. It wasn’t clear to me how many local kids participate. They asked for volunteers to try out kickboxing; none of our group stepped forward. I sure wasn’t going to try; the 11-year-old could knock me over with a feather. Than again, a moderate gust of wind would do the job these days.

So today we’ve seen the extremes: the opulence of the Royal Palace and the abject poverty of Bangkok’s slums.

I’ve included some shots out the bus window to try and convey what Bangkok looks like from the road. It’s not that it’s awful; there are many fine, beautiful and interesting buildings here. It’s just that, for me, it doesn’t hang together. It sprawls as far as the eye can see!

It’s hard to shift gears and move from one country and culture to another. That’s the way it is with Thailand. We keep saying and thinking, “Yes but in Myanmar they do it THIS way, their temples look THAT way. One thing’s for sure, Thailand, or at least the part of greater Bangkok we’ve seen so far, is much more developed than Myanmar. We drove maybe 30 miles north of the city center and saw nothing but commercial and apartment buildings – not one splotch of grass except underneath a major power line. It’s hard to say Bangkok is stylish or impressive or beautiful the way Hong Kong is. But it certainly looks prosperous and dynamic.

We didn’t escape Myanmar entirely. We visited Ayutthaya, which was the capitol of Thailand from 1351 to 1767. That makes its dynasty the longest-lived in Thailand’s history. During that interval kings of Myanmar to the north invaded and conquered twice. The first invasion was in 1549. The invaders laid waste to Ayutthaya. In 1597 the army of Ayutthaya defeated the Myanmar army in a famous elephant battle in which the king of Thailand slew the invading king of Myanmar.

The Myanmar-ians invaded and conquered again in 1767, again laying waste to poor old Ayutthaya. What we saw today, then, were the remains because soon after the second defeat a Thai general, after bloody infighting, declared himself king and built a new capital elsewhere. That didn’t last long and soon Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok became king (Rama 1) and built a new capital at what is today Bangkok.

It’s hard for us to feel sorry for the Thais in all this. My natural inclination at least is to root for the Myanmar home team.

We did visit the ruins of the former capital city of Ayutthaya about 50 Km north of downtown. We had a demonstration of traditional candy making (actually a candy method imported from India many years ago). And we took a 20-minute boat ride down a nearby river in one of those long, skinny passenger boats (two barest) with a huge truck engine connected to a long shaft and a tiny propeller.

Rama 1 founded the Chakri dynasty of Siam (now Thailand) that stretches to Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangku, Rama X, the tenth and current king of the dynasty. His father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, died in October 2016. Thailand held his cremation ceremony last month after a year of mourning. He was much beloved, having served 70 years from the end of WWII in 1946. Thais believe the king is divine, hence the long period of mourning and the elaborate cremation ceremony. Check out http://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/10/26/thailand-cremation-king-bhumibol-adulyadej-sje-lon-orig.cnn to see what I mean.

Interestingly, Rama IX was born in Boston while his father was studying medicine. Rama IX was therefore a U.S. citizen, creating a close tie between Rama IX and a number of U.S presidents. Rama IX was anxious to receive U.S. support to ensure that Thailand did not become overrun by a communist movement as was the case in neighboring Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Rama IX provided significant support to the U.S. effort in the Vietnam War.

During Rama IX’s rule there have been 18 military coups, the most recent in 2014. The coup government was approved by the king; the military government remains in place today.

Politically, there are two camps in Thailand. The Conservatives are closely aligned with the King. They represent the vast majority of Thai wealth. The Liberals wish to have a more open and democratic government. Political discussion in Thailand is difficult however. Article 112 of the Constitution makes it a crime to criticize the King, punishable by three to 15 years in prison. Each offense is charged separately. Someone making 10 negative comments can be jailed for 150 years.

Whatever the political system, the Thai economy, at least as indicated by what we saw from the bus today, looks quite healthy. Almost 50% of Thais work in agriculture so we are not seeing that sector driving around town. Corruption, defined as lack of “openness”, is high although not as high as Myanmar. Thailand is in the top 10 compared to the top 5 for our home country of last week.

We’ll undoubtedly learn more over the two days.

Tonight we cruised up and back down the Chao Phraya river on a converted rice barge. The riverbanks were well illuminated by the Temple of Dawn and the Grand Palace. The weather was perfect – cooler than the heat of the day with a gentle breeze, despite lightning in the distance.

Not much touring today, a down day and travel day to Bangkok, Thailand. It’s getting harder to pack as the souvenirs start mounting up.

I did go for a 45-minute walk from the Victoria Palace Hotel to the former Royal Palace. It’s now mostly a military compound but the palace walls and moat are still intact despite Allied bombing of the Japanese occupiers during WWII.

Actually the learning experience was figuring out how to cross busy Mandalay streets. The key is to have faith that Mandalay drivers are all devout Buddhists and obey the commandment not to kill. You simply step out when the traffic moderates a bit. No use waiting for a safe, secure break; ain’t gonna happen. More than half of the vehicles are motor scooters that can easily dodge pedestrians. The key is not to hesitate. An even pace allows the driver to plan his or her course. Wavering confuses everyone. Friendly horn roots warn you if you stray too far.

Daniel, ever the tour guide, talked to us about two aspects of Myanmar culture on the hour-long bus ride to the airport. He started by noticing a maroon and saffron robed monk hanging off the back of a truck taxi – just like Michael and I did the other night going up to Mandalay Hill. They ride for free and because there may be women in the taxi they must hang on the back or ride on the roof. It’s not uncommon to see a whole roof full of monks careening down the street.

He went on to say that monks must follow 272 rules of which 10 are most important. Five are followed by all Buddhists: thou shalt not kill, lie, steal, harm the family or drink alcohol. Beyond that monks must not eat food after noon, sleep on a comfortable bed, take steps to look attractive. (Hence the standardized robes and shaved heads), partake in any form of entertainment (music, TV etc.) nor possess any wealth. All monks observe the top 10. Monks who devote their entire lives to being a monk observe all 272 rules.

All males must serve some time as a monk even if for only a few weeks. They focus on the 10-rule set. Eight percent of males commit to a lifetime career as a monk. Women are not required to spend time as a nun. About 20% of women do so of whom 80% remain for a lifetime.

He also talked about Aung San Suu Kyi, “The Lady” and her role in contemporary politics. As the 72-year-old daughter of one of Myanmar’s hero’s in the independence from Britain movement (assassinated in 1948) she is the shining hope for the future. With the new constitution, her release from decades of house arrest and her popularity she faced a choice between two paths. She could mount and lead a revolutionary force to combat the all-powerful military and its generals. Or she could recognize a split in the military between conservative generals and the liberal wing that is willing to introduce change. She chose the later more pragmatic approach, partnering with a general who is now President. Her role is State Counselor, a title created to fit her particular circumstances as de facto leader of the country.

The international community asks her, “How can you as a Nobel Peace Prize recipient stay silent in the face of the atrocities committed against the Muslim Rohingya?” To speak out forcefully against the generals, Daniel suggested, would run the risk of undoing the liberalization trend that has so painfully achieved.

Besides, Daniel and Sandro both told us, the Rohingya Muslims (Bengalis they call them) are not completely innocent as the Western press would lead us to believe. The Rohingya people were brought to Burma by the British to serve as laborers. When the Brits left the Rohingyas settled in the Rakhine State, an ultra-conservative Buddhist region. Since then the Rohingyas have multiplied (Rohingya men can have four wives and end up with 40 kids both guides told us) and today outnumber the native Rakhine people. Radical IS Rohingya fighters recently brutally murdered 53 Myanmar police officers. And who knows, maybe they burned their own homes as they left to make it look as if the police and military had committed atrocities.

Whatever you believe this or not it would seem that the people of Myanmar are willing to follow the lead of The Lady. The Rohingya crisis, bad as it might be, is not as important as the movement to bring order to Myanmar, to break the hold of the military in a peaceful manner. The Lady, just today, was negotiating with Bangladesh for the orderly return of Rohingyas.

So what do I conclude about Myanmar and it’s future? Here are my conclusions. Remember, these are the impressions I’ve developed, not to be confused with facts or reality.

I assume that the goal of most Myanmar people is to achieve a society in which all citizens can share in an improving standard of living and freedom to decide what direction their country should take. Implicit is the goal of reining in the military that today takes in a large majority of Myanmar’s wealth.

What Stands in the Way of Progress

1. The Generals and their cronies and family members receive much of the revenues, particularly from off-shore natural gas fields, to increase their personal wealth and power.

2. Widespread corruption. It’s not just the generals. People at all levels, perhaps following the example set by the generals, practice corruption as part of their daily lives. Myanmar is ranked in the top five most corrupt nations in the world.

3. Vast cultural and language differences. Myanmar has 140 or so distinct cultural groups, many with their own languages and religions. How does Myranmar bring together such a diverse collection into a cohesive nation?

4. Myanmar has a lousy reputation with the world community. Britain wants to impose new sanctions. Secretary of State Tillerson was in Yangon the other day and called for an independent investigation of the Rohingya situation but didn’t call for sanctions. Foreign aid, diplomatic relations, military assistance and investment will be hard to get as long as the cloud of the military, corruption and now the Rohingyas hangs over the country. Tourism, our guides tell us, is way down this year.

5. Myanmar lacks a banking system that can finance new ventures in the private sector.

6. Jobs for graduates, especially university graduates, are hard or impossible to find. Students can join the military but the work there is mindless and the recruits are subject to indoctrination and propaganda. University students’ only real hope is to find work outside the country. Singapore is a favorite destination.

I’m sure there are more issues, but these came through to me during our visit.

The Hope for the Future

1. The Lady, Aung San Suu Kyi. Daniel told us today she is his hope, his only hope, for near-term progress toward loosening of the military’s hold on the country and making progress toward its objectives. There is no other leader on the horizon with her stature but she has the potential to be Myanmar’s Nelson Mandela.

2. A tremendous work ethic. The people of Myanmar know how to work hard. They have to work hard so they can feed their families to survive.

3. The Buddhist religion. Yes, I know, it’s not a true religion but most people of Myanmar believe in the Buddha’s “Middle Way” and live the credo in their daily lives. The teachings of Buddha are so contrary to what is going on in the society today that it’s hard to reconcile the two. But Buddhism is a foundation on which a better society can be built

4. Natural resources, including natural gas, gemstones and agricultural products.

5. An interesting and intriguing tourist destination.

Bottom line: progress will be slow, painful and subject to setbacks. Myanmar won’t develop in a vacuum. Two great neighbors will influence its development: India to the west and China to the east. It has strong historical and geographical relationships with Thailand and Laos. Britain, its onetime ruler and the United States will play significant roles.

It will be interesting to watch events as they unfold. Good luck, Myanmar. Long live The Lady.

No pictures tonight. I only took two all day. Just wait ‘til tomorrow!

This time there are two blog postings: my usual day summary and notes that Judy has been making about Myanmar and its culture. It will follow this posting’s pictures. Take a look!

Today we cruised up the Irrawaddy River to the town of Mingun. The trip was very pleasant. Despite the heat the breeze and shade provided by the boat made travel very comfortable. It’s a busy river with fishing, cargo and of course tourist boats.

Boarding the boat put the Adventure in to Overseas Adventure Travel. We had to traverse four gangways made up of 6-inch wide planks with plenty of bounce. The crew held bamboo poles up for us to use as guardrails. But we all made it!

Before boarding Daniel took us a few hundred yards beyond the boat ramp to see how some river people live. These folks live in tents and platforms along the beach, dwellings that are minimal even by Myanmar standards. In fact, one could argue they are homeless in that during the rainy season the river level climbs to engulf their dry-season locations. I’m not sure where they go in the rainy season but I suspect they return to the far side of the river and higher ground.

One main source of income is bringing sand from the numerous sandbars in the river and depositing it in piles on the riverbank for sale to Mandalay’s construction crews. The process is to first dig the sand and load it into long, low motor driven boats and take it to the Mandalay shore. The sand is shoveled from the boats into baskets. The baskets, 50 pounds worth, are carried on the heads of the workers 100 yards or so to the pile. These are family operations; small kids were numerous so someone has to stay behind to mind the youngsters but everyone else, men and women, pitch in and help.

Some groups deal in wood products, some of which is procured illegally and brought from the far side to Mandalay for use as firewood.

Daniel introduced us to a woman whose job is to bring earthenware containers from boats along the shore to the road. These are not light; one or two would be a good load. But this woman demonstrated carrying four at once, balancing one on top of the others. Daniel first met her when she was carrying five at once while she was very much pregnant.
The Mingun Pahtodawgyi is a huge pagoda started by King Bodawpaya in 1790. It stands almost 500 feet tall. Things did not work out very well, however. First, an astrologer warned the king that he would die when construction was complete. That brought construction to a halt. Then, in 1839 an earthquake did considerable damage. As recently as last year yet another earthquake did further damage.
The pagoda also has the world’s biggest playable bell (the biggest bell is in Red Square, Moscow but it was cracked when cast and has never been rung). I nearly got caught on my backpack trying to crawl out from under the bell. Talk about embarrassing!

Just a couple of hundred yards from the great stupa and bell lies the beautiful white Hsinbyume or Myatheindan Pagoda. It takes 99 stair steps to get to the top. Did I climb it? Of course I did, barefoot no less.
The return trip to Mandalay was quicker, traveling downstream and downwind as we were. Daniel took us to the Golden Duck restaurant for, what else in Mandalay, Peking Duck. Mandalay has a significant Chinese population although strictly speaking they are not Chinese people who immigrated to Myanmar. Rather they are Myanmar people from the regions that boarder China and who carry many of the cultural aspects of China.
The afternoon trip took us to the U Bein footbridge that crosses the shallow Thaung Thaman Lake. It’s 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) long and is the longest footbridge in Burma and, according to Wikipedia, is the longest teak bridge in the world.
Around 1850 the king of the Ava kingdom moved the capitol from Inwa to Amarapura. The king wished to visit a monk across the lake from Amarapura so the mayor, U Bein, built the bridge. The teak came from the abandoned palace in Inwa.
Today local people use it to travel from Amarapura to the village on the other side of the lake and back. It’s also a major tourist attraction.
On the way to the bridge we stopped for a few minutes at a shop that does both wood carving and embroidery. As we’ve seen elsewhere the work is all done manually with carvers and weavers sitting cross-legged on the floor plying their craft.
We had a quick bite of dinner in the hotel restaurant. This is a new hotel, one that OAT has not used until recently. It’s interesting to watch the staff learn the ropes of the hospitality business. Tonight there were four people waiting tables plus however many working in the kitchen. The customer count came to six. Service was painfully slow but the food was adequate if over priced. Judy and I spent $14 for a very basic meal. Last night four of us had eight dishes for dinner (Chinese and Indian) for $30 or $15 for the two of us. This establishment has just started to climb the learning curve.
So that’s it. Tomorrow is a travel day. We leave for the airport at 11, take off 2ish and transfer to the Bangkok hotel upon arrival. The Thailand fun doesn’t start until Wednesday.